TEHRAN (Press Shia Agency) – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan offered his congratulations to the Syrian people and government over the recent liberation of the Arab country’s northwestern city of Aleppo from foreign-backed terrorists.

In a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Brigadier General Dehqan, who is on an official visit to South Africa, congratulated the Syrian minister on the full liberation of Aleppo from Takfiri terrorists.

He hailed the achievement as a “milestone” in the Resistance Front’s campaign against terrorism and extremism.

Freij, for his part, thanked the Iranian defense minister and praised the Islamic Republic’s supports for the Syrian people and army in the fight against terror groups.

The battle of Aleppo ended on Tuesday, as rebels and the Syrian government agreed to a ceasefire that would ensure opposition fighters' exit from the city.

After more than four years of clashes and months of siege, the fight for Syria’s once largest city came to an end in what UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon called “a total uncompromising military victory” by government forces.